In celebration of the Big Read and Charles Portis’s True Grit, the Library and YMCA are presenting a John Wayne film series. Films will be held in the Billings Public Library Community Room, 1:00pm, every Saturday in March! Films are free of charge with a discussion to follow.

March 1– Red River(1948)

It’s mutiny on the cattle drive when hot-tempered trail boss Tom Dunson (Wayne) relentlessly brutalizes his drovers, causing his adopted son Matt Garth (Montgomery Clift) to intercede and take charge. Tom vows vengeance for Matt’s unpardonable offense, leading to the quintessential Western showdown. The movie was director Howard Hawks’ immortal sagebrush saga.

March 8 – The Searchers (1956)

After his entire family is viciously wiped out, hardened war veteran Ethan Edwards (Wayne) embarks on a long journey to find his only surviving niece, Debbie (Natalie Wood), who has been captured by hostile Comanche Indians. Stephen Spielberg called director John Ford’s richly scenic Western one of the greatest films of all time.

March 15 – How the West Was Won (1962)

Three generations of the adventurous Prescott family risk their lives to carve out a new existence on the American frontier. The film epic demanded the talents of three directors, including the master of Westerns, John Ford. The stellar cast includes John Wayne, Karl Malden, James Stewart, Debbie Reynolds, Gregory Peck and George Peppard.

March 22 – The Cowboys(1972)

Wayne plays Wil Andersen, an aging rancher who can’t find local cowboys to run his cattle drive. His solution is to hire schoolboys, who will be quickly forced to become men during a treacherous 400 mile cattle run from Montana to South Dakota. Join this odd group of cattle drivers as they brave the trail and face not only obstacles of nature, but also a group of cattle thieves.

March 29 – Rooster Cogburn (1975)

John Wayne returns as the irascible Rooster Cogburn in this entertaining sequel to True Grit. This time, Wayne gets saddled with prim Eula Goodnight (Katharine Hepburn), a minister’s daughter who’s more than a match for the cranky U.S. Marshal.

Sign up fora Big Read Book Discussion!

To register for one of these discussion groups and to receive a free copy of “True Grit,” call the Billings Public Library at 657-8258 or go to the 2nd Floor Service Desk.